Actuating mechanism for a doll head



Oct. 2, 1956 R. E. BIRNBAUM ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR A DOLL HEAD Filed Sept. 5. 1952 'swf' ACTUATHNG MECHANISM FOR A DOLL HEAD Richard E. Birnbaum, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Alexander Doll Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 3, 1952, Serial No. 307,689 8 Claims. (Cl. 46-119) The present invention relates to a doll having a head articulately mounted on the body thereof and selectively movable, through the actuation of appropriate manually movable members, so as to shake from side to side in apparent negation or nod up and down in apparent aiirmcf tion, the particular head movement desired being determined through selection of the appropriate manually movable member.

Dolls and other figures having the describedcapability have been produced in the past, but the complicated nature of the mechanism involved in achieving such movement has milita-ted against any widespread commercial exploitation of dolls of this type except in most costly models. indeed, the bulkiness and complexity of the actuating mechanism has not only itself added materially to the cost of the doll, but has also necessitated the use of a fairly large doll body in order to accommodate mechanism suthciently sturdy to withstand the type of handling to which dolls are customarily subjected. This factor, of course, further limited the adaptability of dolls of this type for production and sale in small size and at low cost.

The present invention has for its primary object the production of a head-moving mechanism of readily fabricated parts which may be used with unmodified standard doll bodies and which may readily be assembled into operative relationship. The movable parts are so arranged and interconnected that but a single and sturdy spring need be employed to retain the head in normal position, to retain the manually movable members in normal position, to resiliently resist movement of all parts from normal position and to restore those parts to normal position when they have been manually displaced there from. This eliminates the use of a plurality of relatively imsy springs such as has been customary in the prior art to perform the same functions. ln addition, the spring is so mounted and arranged that it may readily be brought into operative engagement with the parts on which it acts as a normal consequence of the assembly of a standard doll body.

To the accomplishment of the above and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the structure and arrangement of a doll with a mechanism operatively connected to the head of the doll for moving the same, as delined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Pig. l is a front elevational View of a doll of the present invention, the head thereof being shown in normal position;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the doll of Fig. 1 with the front body part removed and with a portion of the front head part broken away;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, but with the arms and legs of the doll removed;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line nit-,ed States Patent C ICS 4 4 of Fig. 3 and showing the mechanism in normal` position which the mechanism assumes when the dolls` head is swung laterally from normal position as part of simulated negation;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 showing in solid lines the position which the mechanism assumes when the head is in normal position and in broken lines its position when the dolls head is swung to one side in apparent negation, thus corresponding to the showing in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 2, the mechanism being shown in a position in which the dolls head is nodded forward as part of simulated atlirmation.

While the invention is here specifically disclosed to move the head of a doll to nod yes or shake no, it will be apparent that the scope of the invention is not specifically limited thereto but may also be applied to moving other body members, whether of human or animal ligures or, indeed, body extensions in general, in dilierent modes.

The doll comprises, as is conventional, a body generally designated 2 to which arms 4 and legs d are secured in conventional manner and on the top of which a head il is articulately mounted. The body 2 may be formed oi front and rear parts l() and 7.2 respectively, those parts meeting along a conventional longitudinally disposed parting line ld so as to define a hollow body. he body parts itil and l2 when assembled denne arm apertures M and leg apertures 18 into which arms and legs 6 are respectively received, those limbs bei g; retained in place in any conventional manner, as by means ot rubber bands or other resilient tensional devices 2@ engageable with hooks 22 secured to said arms and legs.

It is to be emphasized that the arms 4, legs 6 and body 2 of the doll may in all respects be conventional, requiring no modification "1"- trorn their standard form, esrept for provision of aperture 24 in the front body part ld aperture 26 in the rear body part 12.

The head S may also be substantially conventional ia character, it too being formed of a front part 23 and rear part fit) meeting along longitudinal parting line ri`he head is provided with a bottom aperture 34 adapted to rest upon the neck portion 36 of the doll body, the head 3 thus being movable with respect to the body 2. The contents of the head 8 (not illustrated) may take any desired form.

The sides of the front head section 23 are provided with grooves 38 into which pin dit is slidably received, the upper portion of the operating shaft 42 being wrapped around the pin 46 at 4d so that pin 4d andthence the head 8 must pivot with the shaft 42 when the shaft rotates about its longitudinal axis, the pin it? nevertheless being rotatable about its own longitudinal axis with re spect to the shaft d2, which extends substantially at right angles thereto. lt is preferred, in order to more firmly support the pin 4d and the upper portion of the operating shaft 42 and to more positively connect those elements to the head E, to provide a supporting element te readily formed of any suitable material such as a moldable plastic, the element 46 being secured to the inner surface of the front head part 28 and extending toward the rear head part Ell, the tip of the element 46 being provided with perpendicularly oriented open-toppedslots d3 and Sti for receiving the operating shaft 42 and the pin ld respectively.

The operating shaft 42 extends into the hollow body 2 in a gene-rally longitudinal direction via an opening 52 at the neck portion 36 thereof. The shaft 42 preferably extends into the body 2 substantially centrally thereof and, described from top to bottom, comprises a forwardly offset portion 54 adapted to clear the rubber band 20 which yholds the arms `6 in place, a further longitudinally extending portion l56, a laterally offset portion 53, a laterally extending portion 60, an offset portion 62 on the `opposite side of the taxis of the shaft 42 from the offset portion 58, and `an additional longitudinally extending portion '64 substantially in line with the portion 56. The laterally extending shaft portion 60, as will be seen, constitutes .a lateral lbear-ing portion, the longitudinally extending portions 56 and 64 of the shaft 42, or a-ny one of them, constitutes a longitudinal bearing portion for the shaft 42, and the offset shaft portion 62 constitutes a crank arm designed to produce rotation of the shaft 42 substantially about its longitudinal axis.

Secured to the inner surface of the rear body part l2 and extending toward the front body part it) are iirst, second and third elements 66, `68 and 7th respectively which perform supporting, guiding and bearing functions. Each of these elements may be formed of any suitable material, such as a moldable plastic. The iirst element 66 has ya tip provided with an open-ended slot 72 into which the longitudinally extending shaft portion 64 is received. The tip of the third element 7@ has a similar open-ended slot 74 into which the portion 56 of the shaft 42 is received. The elements 66 and 70 are positioned to opposite sides `of the element 68, substantially along the longitudinal center line of the body part 12, and with the sides of their slots 72 and 74 opening longitudinally' of the body 2.

The aperture *26 in the rear body part 12 is positioned in line with the slots 72 and 74 and between the elements 68 and 70, a manually Iaotuatable plunger 76 having a tip 78 protruding out through the aperture 26, the other end of the plunger 76 extending into the body 2 and having an open-topped slot 80 into which the portion 56 of the shaft 42 is freely received. The plunger 76 is provided with a portion 82 of increased diameter which is larger than -the aperture 26 and which therefore acts as a positive stop to prevent the plunger 7 6 from passing outwardly through the aperture 26.

The element 68 has an open-topped slot `84 at the forwardly extending tip thereof, the slot 84, in contradistinction to the slots 72, 74 and S0, being laterally rather than longitudinally oriented with respect to the doll body 2. The oor of the slot 84 at the right hand end thereof -as viewed in Figs. 2, 4 land 5, as at 86, is at a lower level than the immediately adjacent portion of the slot oor. The lateral shaft bearing portion 60 is received within the slot 8f4.

The aperture 2'4 in the front body part 10 is positioned 0E the centerline of the body 2 and in line with the offset shaft port-ion 62. The tip 83 `of a manual-ly actuatable plunger 90 protrudes outwardly through the aperture 24, the inner end of the plunger 90 being positively secured to the offset shaft portion 62 as by having an aperture 92 therethrough which the shaft y42 may be threaded. The plunger '90 is also provided with a .portion 94 of a size larger than the aperture 24 and which therefore acts as a positive stop to prevent the plunger 90 from passing outwardly through the aperture 24.

A stud 96 formed of any suitable material such as moldable plastic is secured to the inner surface of the front body part 2 so as to be in line with the element 68 when the body is assembled. A coiled compression spring 98 is mounted on the stud 10 and is adapted, when the body is assembled, to surround the forwardly extending tip of the element 68 to resiliently engage the shaft 42 above, below rand to both sides of the `element 68 as viewed in Fig. 2 and to resiliently press the shaft 42 rearwardly so that its lateral bearing portion 60 rests on the floor of the slot 86.

Since the spring 98 engages the shaft 42 to all sides of the element 68, it serves to hold the shaft in position vwith the lateral bearing portion 60 substantially level,

i The depth of the slot 80 in the plunger 76 is such that when the shaft E42 is in this position the longitudinally extending shaft portion 156 will be in and resting on the bottom of the slot l and the plunger '76 will be moved rearwardly until its enlarged positive stop .port-ion 82 engages the inner surface of the rear body part l2. At the same time the offset shaft portion 62 will be so positioned that the plunger connected thereto will be correspondingly moved so that its enlarged posit-ive stop portion 94 engages the inner surface of the front body part 1t). Thus the manually movable members 76 and 90 will themselves determine limits of motion of the shaft 40 in two senses, the spring 98 `resiliently opposing motion of the shaft 42 in opposite senses.

If a nodding movement of the head 8 is desired, simulating atiirmation, it is merely necessary to press the protruding tip '78 of the plunger 76 inwardly, as shown in Fig. 7. When this is done the lioor of the slot 1Sil in the plunger 76 w-ill force the shaft 42 to tilt forwardly about its lateral bearing portion 6i) as an axis, the floor of the slot 72 in the element 66 being at a sufficiently low level to permit the longitudinally extending shaft portion 64 to move rearward as the shaft portion 56 moves forwardly. When this occurs the head 8 will be moved forwardly and downwardly, pivoting about the axis of pin 40 as that pin is translated, as shown in Fig. 7, thus simulating the first half of a nod. The movement of the shaft `42 will cause distortion of the spring 9S, and hence when pressure on the plunger tip 73 is released the spring 9S will cause all of the parts to resume their normal position, the head coming back to `an upright position and thus completing the nod.

lf a shake of the head is desired, to simulate negation, the protruding tip 88 of the plunger 96 is depressed, thus causing the offset shaft portion 62 to move toward the rear body part 12. When this occurs, as may be best seen in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the lateral shaft bearing portion 60 is tilted rearwardly to the right, this movement being permitted by the portion 86 of the floor of the slot 34 which is at a low level. At the same time the shaft 42 will be caused to rotate about its longitudinal axis, the shaft portions 64 and 56 pivoting within the slots 72, 74 and 8i) respectively. This rotation of the shaft i2 will lcause a swinging of the pin 40 and hence a shake of the head S to one side. When pressure is released from the plunger tip 88, the spring 9S, which has been distorted by means of the tilting of the lateral shaft bearing portion 60 (see Fig. 5), will restore the shaft 42 and all of the other parts to their normal position.

Assembly of a doll in which the present mechanism is incorporated is an exceedingly simple matter. The elements 66, 68 and 70 are secured in place on the inner surface of the rear body part l2. The plunger 9@ is threaded over the shaft 42 until it encompasses the offset portion 62 thereof. rI'he plunger 76 is put in place with its slot 80 properly oriented so as to be in line with the slot 74. The shaft 42 is then put in place from above merely by sliding the appropriate shaft portions into the open-topped slots 74, 8l), 84 and 72. The spring 955 is mounted on the stud 96 which has been secured to the front body part lil, and the front body part t@ is then assembled wtih the rear body part 12 in conventional manner, making sure only that the tip 88 of the plunger 90 extends through the aperture 24. The arms 6 and the legs 4 may be attached to the doll body 2 at any appropriate time and in conventional manner. The looped tip 44 of the shaft 42 has the pin 40 passed therethrough,

and the front head section 28 is then slid into place, the tips of the pin 40 being received within slots 33, the central portion of the pin 40 being received within the slot 50 in the element 46 and the shaft 42 being received within the slot 48 in the element 46. The rear head part 30 is then assembled with the front head part 23 in conventional manner.

It will be appreciated from the above explanation that a positively acting, sturdy and dependable head moving mechanism has been produced. The parts of that mechanism are minimal in number and simple in the extreme, being designed so as to be susceptible of economical quantity production. No appreciable modification of standard doll parts is required. Assembly of the mechanism is extremely simple, and may in point of fact be accomplished much more quickly than the explanation may be read. The use of a single spring 98 for controlling the movement of all of the parts of the mechanism permits the use of a sturdy spring, facilitates assembly and eliminates the necessity for multiplicity of parts. The mechanism may be made quite small without sacrificing its sturdiness, thus permitting its use with dolls of small as well as of large size. The parts, when once assembled, cannot become disconnected short of actual breaking of the body 2 or separation of the body parts 1@ and 12.

While but one embodiment of the present invention has been here disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a doll structure comprising a hollow body, a head articulately mounted on said body, and manually movable members in said body, accessible from the exterior thereof and operatively connected to said head so as to cause said head to move with respect to said body in a predetermined manner; a rigid operating shaft connected to said head, extending substantially longitudinally into said body, and there integrally including a longitudinally extending bearing portion, a portion offset therefrom, and a laterally extending bearing portion, a first element secured to said body and adapted to receive and guide said longitudinally extending bearing portion, a second element secured to said body and having a laterally extending slot within which said laterally extending bearing portion is received, the end portion of the floor of said slot toward said offset shaft portion being at a lower level than the immediately adjacent portion of said slot floor, a first one of said movable members being connected to said olset portion and the second of said movable members being connected to said shaft at a point longitudinally spaced from said laterally extending bearing portion, manual movement of said first member causing said laterally extending bearing portion to tilt upV and down within the slot in said second element toward and away from said end portion of said slot floor, thereby causing the main portion of said shaft to rotate substantially about said longitudinally extending bearing portion as an axis and causing said head to shake m0, and manual movement of said second member causing said shaft to tilt forwardly and rearwardly substantially about said laterally extending bearing portion as an axis and causing said head to nod yes.

2. The doll structure of claim 1, in which said shaft includes portions extending above and below said second element and to the side of said second element opposite said end portion of said slot floor, and spring means connected to said body, resiliently engaging said extending shaft portions and urging said shaft downwardly against the said immediately adjacent portion of said slot ioor, said spring thereby retaining said shaft and the head connected thereto in normal position relative to said body.

3. 'Ille doll structure of claim 2, in which said spring means comprises a coil spring the shaft-engaging end of which surrounds said second element.

4. The doll structure of claim l, in which said first element is provided with an open-topped slot into which said longitudinally extending bearing portion is received.

5. The doll structure of claim 4, in which said shaft includes portions extending above and below said second element and to the side of said second element opposite said end portion of said slot floor, and spring means connected to said body, resiliently engaging said extending shaft portions and urging said shaft downwardly toward said slot floor, said spring thereby retaining said shaft and the head connected thereto in normal position relative to said body.

6. The doll structure of claim 4, in which said shaft includes portions extending above and below said second element and to the side of said second element opposite said end portion of said slot oor, and a coil spring connected to said body and having an end which surrounds said second element, resiliently engages said extending shaft portions and urges said shaft downwardly toward said slot floor, said coil spring thereby resiliently retaining said shaft and the head connected thereto in normal position relative to said body.

7. The doll structure of claim l, in which said body is in two parts separable along a substantially longitudinal line, said first and second elements are secured to one of said body parts and extend toward the other body part, each of said body parts being apertured, one of said manually movable members passing through the aperture in one of said body parts and the other of said manually movable members passing through the aperture in the other of said parts.

8. in the doll structure of claim 7, a third element secured to said one of said body parts and extending toward the other of said body parts, said third element being positioned between said head and said second element, said first element being positioned to the other side of said second element from said third element, all of said elements having open-topped slots within which appropriate portions of said shaft are received, Said body parts being apertured and said first manually movable member passing through an aperture in said one body part and being connected to said shaft at a point longitudinally spaced from said second element by means of an open-topped slot in said one member into which said shaft is received, said first member having an enlarged portion within said body and larger than said aperture so as to define a positive stop limiting the degree to which said one member projects out through the appropriate aperture, said second manually movable member being secured to said offset shaft portion and passing through an aperture in said other body part, a member on said other body part opposite said second element on said one body part, and a compressed coil spring mounted on said member, extending toward and surrounding the tip of said second element and resiliently engaging said shaft above and below said, second element and to the side of said second element o pposite said end portion of said slot iioor, said spring thereby resiliently retaining said shaft, the head connected thereto, and said manually movable members in normal position relative to said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 19,657 Bowers July 30, 1935 1,737,267 Paganello Nov. 26, 1929 2,137,371 Marsh Nov. 22, 1938 2,334,290 Richter Nov. 16, 1943 2,540,484 Kellner Feb. 6, 1951 2,590,515 Derham Mar. 25, 1952 2,648,161 Stewart Aug. 11, 1953 

